The Ballad of Arceny
by Insomniac997
Summary: After violently assaulting Cream the Rabbit, a mysterious hedgehog named Arceny makes an enemy out of Sonic the Hedgehog. Arceny also happens to be a former boyfriend of Rouge the Bat. She and Sonic work together to fight against the psychotic Arceny and in the progress, their friendship develops.
1. Chapter 1- Emergency

The Ballad of Arceny

Chapter 1: Emergency

Adamantium Hospital Lobby, Station Square, 2:00AM

"Hurry! Get her to the IC, she needs medical attention right now!" Amy yelled in one of the ambulance brothers' ears as he and his colleagues pushed the brancard containing Cream the Rabbit forward. Though the doctor did his best to ignore the pink hedgehog, Amy's violent yelling was so loud, it almost caused him to lose balance and dropping the brancard. Luckily, Sonic managed to step in and hold Amy back when the doctors reached the Intensive Care, resulting in him recieving quite a share of bruises. He didn't mind though, as long as the doctors were able to take care of Cream.

'Nobody witnessed what exactly happened, only that a cyan-colored hedgehog suddenly barged through the door of the Rabbit residence. First he treathened Vanilla, demanding she hand over all her valuables. Vanilla refused, and the hedgehog promptly subdued her. Cream saw this, and commanded her chao Cheese to attack the hedgehog. Before Cheese could reach him, the hedgehog violently smashed through it's guts, killing Cheese instantly. He glared at Cream, who ran away in terror. The hedgehog caught up with her, and beat the poor rabbit up. Even though Cream was barely nine years old, had little fighting experience, and was overally harmless, the hedgehog didn't bother holding back. After knocking her to the ground he brutally kicked her a few times, to the point where the girl couldn't stand up. Her little face was completely covered in blood, which dripped down onto her orange dress. With a sadistic grin, the mysterious hedgehog delivered a final kick to the head, knocking Cream out. Sonic, having heard the rabbit's cries for help, arrived at the spot as fast as he could. The cyan hedgehog fled just as the blue hedgehog arrived. He noticed Cream, and without wondering who the figure that ran away was, picked up the little girl and rushed her back to her now partially demolished house. He grabbed a first aid kid from the drawer and did everything to keep Vanilla and Cream from dying. Meanwhile, he phoned Amy up and informed her on the situation. Thirty-seconds later, Amy barged in, causing the already half-broken door to shatter from it's hinges. "Sonic! Tell me what's going o...OH MY GOD, CREAM!" Amy shrieked after seeing the badly wound Cream. She ran towards Cream, pushing Sonic out of the way. "Cream! Wake up! Tell me who did this, please!" Amy violently shrugged the body of her sidekick back and forth, with no repsonse. Sonic attempted to pull Amy away from Cream. "Amy please, this is pointless..." "Shut the fuck up! Can't you see she needs to wake up?! She can't die Sonic, she can't!" "She won't Amy, as long as she gets medical attention..." "Sonic who the fuck did this to her..." "That's not important right no..." "WHO THE FUCK DID THIS?" "AMY! Will you please shut up and get your car ready?! They need to go to the hospital right now!" Sonic's aggresive reaction to Amy's aggresive reaction didn't do much good, as Amy now bursted in tears and leaned against Sonic. Sonic subtily escorted Amy to her convertible, then went back to get Cream and Vanilla.'

Sonic, holding an icepack against his head and crotch due to hammer injuries, sat in the hospital's lounge. Amy sat next to him, and leaned on his shoulder. Though she calmed down a bit, she was still in tears, though she was only sniffing now. "Sonic?" "Yeah?" "Sorry for...you know...that little accident back there..." Amy whispered in an apologizing matter. Sonic said nothing, simply wrapping his arm around her shoulder. He was just happy Amy finally cooled down, and though the situation was far from happy, Sonic savored the moment of quiteness, using it to think about what happened. This moment of peace however, was broken as soon as the hospital's entrance door flew open.

"Who the fuck did this?! I will mutilate the pathetic creep who did this!" Sonic sighed as Rouge the Bat entered the lobby and ranted towards the IC. Closing his eyes while pondering on the consequences of what he is about to do, he stood up and blocked the hallway. "Get the hell out of my way, hedgehog. I'm not in the mood to play!" Rouge yelled. "You can't go in. They're peforming surgery right now." Sonic calmy replied. "I'm a government agent. I can enter the president's toilet in the middle of the night if I wish too. Now move!" Rouge pushed Sonic out of the way. "And since when did you start caring about people? Oh wait, let me guess, you're hoping Cream wears a golden bracelet so you can snatch it away and pawn it off to Eggman so you can buy some fancy jewel or something?" Sonic blurted out, immediatly realizing that he said something stupid. Rouge turned around, and flew into Sonic at a speed that could rival his own. She grabbed him by the throat and flew him into the wall on the other side of the room. "Try to say something like that again, and I will pawn your dead carcass off to Eggman, understood?" "*gag* understood..." Sonic said while quickly losing his breath. Rouge released her grip, and marched into the IC, immediatly followed by hospital staff. Inside the IC, sounds of yelling were heard, and about five seconds later the first staff member flew through the door, with the imprint of a metal sole left on his torso.

Adamantium Hospital Front Entrance, Station Square, 4:00AM

Sonic sat on top of the hospital stairs, enjoying the cool midnight breeze. Rouge followed suit a minute later. "I managed to get Amy to fall asleep. She can use some rest." she said. Sonic nodded. "Thanks. I've never seen her so upset in my life. How are you doing by the way?" Rouge sat down next to Sonic. "Ah, don't worry about me. I'm a big girl, I can manage myself. It's just...so unfair. Out of all the people to get hurt, why did it have to be Cream? She never did anybody wrong..." Sonic placed his hand on Rouge's shoulder, noticing that talking about Cream only makes her more depressed. "I know it seems like I couldn't care less about my friends, and prefer shiny gems over relations. And too a degree, that's true. But to Cream...I can't help but feel something...motherly. You know?" Sonic nodded again. "I know. I think we all feel as a mother to Cream...wait, that came out pretty weird." he jested. Rouge giggled, then glanced at Sonic. He returned the gesture as well.


	2. Chapter 2- Arceny appears

Chapter 2: Arceny Appears

Tails Garage, Mystic Ruins, 11:00AM

Sonic woke up and walked downstairs, where Tails was already working on his machines. "Hey Sonic! Did you still manage to get some sleep?" he asked. "Barely" Sonic responded. "I just can't figure out why happened what happened yesterday." he continued while pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Yeah well so does Amy. You've got seventeen missed calls from her since 6:30. I think you should call her back." Tails said, to which Sonic shrugged, signaling he will get to it later. "Oh yeah...Rouge called as well." Sonic suddenly looked up, surprised. "She did? When?" "Uhm, like half an hour ago. She said she wanted to meet you at Emerald Coast." Tails answered. "Emerald Coast? Alright, I'l check it out soon." Sonic casually said, not wanting to indicate he was a little excited to hear from her.

Emerald Coast, Station Square, 11:15AM

"Hey there Big Blue! You didn't waste any time coming here I see." Rouge smiled as Sonic sat down at her table. The two briefly looked at the ocean for a moment. "Isn't the sea just beautiful?" Rouge teasingly asks Sonic, knowing his fear of water. "Very funny." Sonic shrugged it off. "So, what news will you bring upon me today? Heard anything about Cream?" Sonic said, trying to switch the conversation to business. "Not much, only that she's stable and if everything goes well, she'll be restored in a few months. But hey, about yesterday.." Rouge answered, switching the conversation to personal matters. "Sorry if I came off a tad rude by, you know...chokeslamming you into that wall and such..." she said. "Hey, don't sweat it, I was holding back anyway. But I understand, you were angry. Trust me, I've had to deal with many an angry girl in my life." "That many girls?" "Well, no. Only Amy actually. But she counts for five." Sonic said, again making Rouge giggle. "You know, you're a really sweet guy. I can't understand why Shadow and Knuckles always talk trash about you." "Ah, not everybody can like me. They can think of me however they want, it doesn't change who I am." Sonic replied. Rouge smiled at Sonic, impressed by his self-confidence and carefree atitude.

Sonic and Rouge's alone time was quickly interupted by a car flying through the air, coming straight towards the duo. Sonic barely managed to push himself and Rouge out of the way. Suddenly, hordes of screaming people were running through the street, coming out of a jewelry that appeared to be on fire. "Hey! I was planning on robbing that store this week!" Rouge yelled, dashing towards the flaming store, followed by Sonic. Trying to figure out who started the fire, Sonic could make out a silhouette through the thick smoke cloud. "That figure...that's the same guy that attacked Cream!" Sonic shouted, causing the mysterious hedgehog to flee again. This time Sonic gave chase however, but was unable to catch up to him. "*huff* damnit! Another hedgehog who can match my speed!" he panted. The chase moved to Casinopolis and the unknown hedgehog ran into the nearest casino.

Sonic followed the hedgehog, with Rouge catching up to him shortly. The casino was completely empty, but Sonic couldn't spot the hedgehog. "Jackpot!" a voice suddenly shouted, and immediatly afterwards, every slot machine in the casino activated, creating an ear deafening noise. Sonic quickly covered his ears, but Rouge, having extremely sensitive hearing, shrieked at the sudden sound, and fell to her knees. "Sonic! The sound! Make it stop, please!" she cried. Sonic came to her friend's aid, but as soon as he turned his back, the cyan hedgehog approached. Despite Rouge's ear drums slowly getting numb, she could make up the sounds of his footsteps. "Sonic, he's coming!" she yelled. Sonic turned around, only to be blown out of the casino with a tremendous and painful force. Sonic got up and rushed back, but the doors were closed. From inside, he heard Rouge screaming his name. "Fuck! Whoever you are, you better let me in or you will be in deep shit!" Sonic yelled while trying to bash in the door. When he finally succeeded, the hedgehog was gone...along with Rouge.


	3. Chapter 3- Reminiscing

Chapter 3: Reminiscising

Warehouse 51, Station Square Harbor, 13:00PM

Rouge awokened, finding herself lying on the floor inside a warehouse. Blinking with her eyes, she looked up to the face of a dark-skinned hedgehog, with cyan fur, covered in golden jewelry, and a cigarette casually hanging on his lower lip. "A..Arceny...is that really you?" she whispered. "It's been a while, babe." Arceny smiled. "Haven't heard from you in three years. Not since the heist."

Stardust City, three years earlier:

"Which direction did she go? Hurry up, find that damn bat!" one of the officers yelled, leading a police squad through large scale manhunt throughout the city, trying to find the bat who just managed to steal the Stardust Sapphire, the town's most valuable gem. Rouge didn't realize the gem was so precious to the city, and though she was prepared for some heat, she didn't expect the city's entire police departement to pull out. Taking refuge in an alley, she was instantly held at gunpoint by two cops. She surrendered, but just before they could handcuff the bat, the officers fell down, with two precisely aimed knives stuck in both their neck veins. Behind the two dead cops, Arceny emerged from the shadows. Rouge examined the hedgehog who just saved her. She was impressed by the amount of jewelry he wore. "I take it you didn't pay for that golden belt." she joked. "And you didn't pay for that gem either. The whole city is looking for you." he replied with a serious attitude. "Don't worry, I won't tell. But I could use someone like you. Come with me, and soon you will have a lot more of those gems." Hearing the words 'more' and 'gems' sounded like music in Rouge's ears, and without hestitation, she followed Arceny to his safehouse.

Arceny's safehouse was an abandoned nightclub, with the neon signs outside hanging down and some of the letters still active, depsite heavy flickering. The interior of the rundown club was a lot nicer: an oriental look, with the floor, walls and ceiling painted in Byzantine colours. Many golden items and furniture decorated the club. "Wow, you certainly have some taste." Rouge said, observing the large shiny diamond hookah in the middle of the room. Arceny beckoned Rouge, who followed him upstairs, leading to a massive balcony looking out over the city. "This is our rendevouz point. We can safely plan our heists here. Speaking of it, the group will be here in a few minutes to discuss our next score. Perfect time to introduce you." he said. "Group? There are more?" Rouge wondered. "Off course. You have any idea how difficult it is to aquire treasure this valuable by yourself?" "Uh, yeah. I've been doing that flawlessly since I was able to get out of my diapers. Never got caught." Rouge proudly explained. "And look where that got you, smartass. Did you forgot you almost let yourself be arrested by two police rookies who were barely old enough to wield a gun in the first place?" Arceny responded, not impressed by the bat's achievements. Just then the 'crew' entered:

Rampage, 17yrs, 120cm, 47kg. Rampage was a green tiger, and Arceny's right-hand man. Being extremely loyal to Arceny, he would always pick his safety over his own during jobs. Arceny also counted on Rampage to liquidate anybody that could pose as a possible threat to Arceny in any way. His loyalty, determination, trigger-happy personality, and questioned sanity has gained him the favor of Arceny likewise.

Sharp, 12yrs, 96cm, 29kg. Sharp, an orange hawk, is the youngest member of the crew and still learning the ropes. He greatly admires Arceny and tries his best to prove himself. Though still a rookie, Sharp's flight skills have been of great use to the group.

Faith, 15yrs, 105cm, 31kg. Faith is the only female member of the group, A navy blue hedgehog, she is Arceny's cousin and currently dating Rampage (with Arceny's reluctant approval). Faith isn't as strong as Rampage or quick as Arceny, but her high intelligence allow her to hack almost any security system.

After Arceny got the group to trust Rouge, they introduced themselves to her, and proceeded to plan the heist. "Our target, the Azura National Bank. Now I know we've failed this one before, but i'm confident that with the help of our newest addition, we can get at least half of what's in that giant safe over there." Arceny explained, while winking at Rouge, who blushed. "The plan is simple, but the execution is of upmost importance. We have to make sure to operate lightning fast and without any suspicion before-hand. Rouge, you will play a big part in this score, so I've got know what to expect from you first. Anyway, you will hide the rifles and enforced earplugs in the back room, indicated on the map here. Rampage and I will enter the bank at exactly 17:00, at which point Sharp will escort Faith to the rooftop, and station her at this exact spot, so that she can hook up the hacking device to the alarm. On the roof, Sharp will meet up with Rouge. She will kick open the vent located here, allowing Sharp to sneak in and plant the Sound-Thrust. The bomb has a countdown of 3 minutes, so we will all have to quickly put in the enforced earplugs. During the countdown, Rouge takes Faith to the vault after she has hacked the security system. When the Sound-Thrust goes off, everbody should be instantly stunned and knocked unconscious. This is when Faith will crack the vault's code, and Rouge will sneak in and grab as many loot as possible. Rouge, Sharp and Faith will escape via the air-vent while Rampage and I deal with any possible heat. We meet back here around 18:00, at which point we should celebrate with many bottles of champagne, enjoying our treasure!" Arceny conluded, while the whole crew cheered. After everybody went their own ways, Arceny held Rouge apart. "Now Rouge, as I said before, I gotta know who i'm dealing with here. Why don't we go outside?" he said. "Outside? Don't you remember that the entire police squad is looking for me right now?" "That's right, we're gonna clear your database first." Arceny replied.

"See that window over there? Officers use it to secretly take a smoke break, so it's never locked. Wait till the coast is clear, then enter the hallway. Third door on your right you will find the database room. You know how it works right?" Arceny asked while standing near the local police departement. "Sounds easy enough. Should I clear your records while i'm at it?" Rouge asked. "That's a good girl. Now go, and scream when anything goes wrong!"

Nothing went wrong, and 15 minutes later Rouge safely returned. "Alright, we're both spotless. So, now that we're incognito again, how about you show me around town tonight?" she asked Arceny. "Alright then, we'll take the touristic route." he replied, and the couple began strolling through the city.

After a night of drinking, laughing, partying and dancing, Arceny and Rouge stumbled into his bedroom, both barely able to walk. "*hiccup* man, di'we have a gooz time o' what Arcy? I feel like we should top that off wiz some good sex!" a drunken Rouge rambled. Arceny agreed, and a few seconds later, they were already naked and under the sheets. The sex itself lasted a bit longer, as the sun already began to rise when Arceny was finished. "*whew* Fuckin' hell, you really know how to keep me going, sexy bat. We must've been busy for at least 4 hours now!" he said while he got off of Rouge and dressed himself. "Your going? Shouldn't we catch some z's first?" Rouge asked. "Insomnia, babe. Haven't closed a single eye in years." Arceny said. "You mean like, you never sleep? At all?" Rouge continued. "Nope. Got some stuff here to keep me sharp though." Arceny replied while he took a bag of cocaine out of his drawer. Neatly cutting the white powder, he snorted it up. Afterwards he took a piece of rope strapped his right arm, and injected a dose of heroin into his veins. Immediatly following up he grabbed a glass pipe with methamphetamine and inhaled it's fumes. Finally, he grabbed the bottle of vodka that he and Rouge didn't finish the night before and gulped it down. "Aah. Alright then, my breakfast so far. I'm ready for the day baby!" Arceny yelled. "Well whatever. I'm tired as hell. Wake me around twelve." Rouge said, going back to sleep.

Rouge woke up, noticing Arceny wasn't back yet. She got up and walked to the balcony, looking out over the city. Suddenly, she noticed a girl standing by Arceny's doorstep, nervously looking around. Wondering what she wants, Rouge flew down and approached the young lady, a dark-red squirrel. "Excuse me, are you waiting for someone?" Rouge asked. The squirrel, who didn't notice Rouge coming, jumped up when she heard the sudden voice. "Oh! Sorry, didn't mean to freak you out..." "N-no, it's okay. I just didn't see you there...yes, i'm waiting for my uh...friend over here." the girl nervously said. "Your friend? You mean Arceny?" "Oh! Y-you know Arceny?" she said. "Yeah kind off. We're associates. Business associates actually. Who kind of sleep together..." Rouge awkwardy said. "Oh, so you're his new girlfriend then?" the squirrel responded. "Well I wouldn't exactly put it that way yet. Wait, are you his ex or something?" Rouge asked. "Yeah, I used to date him as well. He was so sweet at first. That was, until he had his daily dose of drugs. Then he became vioilent, psychotic. As if a demon possessed him. When we were at home he would beat me up, and in public he would become nervous and kill anyone that looked at him in a funny way." the squirrel explained. "Really? And how do I know you're not lying? You don't look like a fresh fruit yourself." Rouge pointed at the squirrel, whose hair was messed up, and was wearing fishnet stocking with trashy, skimpy clothes. "Yeah what do you expect? Arceny started getting me hooked on all sorts of stuff, and before I knew it I was in debt. 'Luckily', Arceny was sweet enough to set me up in a prostitution ring, so now i have to fuck guys and deliver him money every month. Otherwise, he'd kill me." the girl continued. "My name is Sylvia by the way. I assume you will be joining me and the girls soon enough, so maybe it would help if you already have a friend." the squirrel cynically remarked. "Yeah right. You probably made a bunch of bad decisions in your life, but blaming them on Arceny is just pathetic. Don't think I'm as stupid as you." Rouge said, ignoring Sylvia's warnings. She brushed the squirrel off and went to look for Arceny.

She found Arceny in the club they visited last night, talking to a bunch of shady wolves. Their table was filled with empty beer mugs and batches of weed. When he noticed Rouge, he immediatly sat up straight. Figuring it be fun to show the wolves what Arceny's latest catch looked like, she sat down on Arceny's lap and lifted her legs in the air. "Hey sexy, how's it going?" she asked in a sexy manner. Arceny, looking nervous, signaled to his companions he'll be right back and pulled Rouge away from the table. "What are you doing here?! I texted you that I'd be back in a few hours" he whispered. Rouge now saw that Arceny was uncomfortable with her presence. "Relax honey, I was just checking out on you. Oh yeah, there was someone on your doorstep who wanted to see you..." "Who?" he quicly asked. "Uh, a girl. Sylvia or something. I don't know..." "Have you talked to her?" "A little bit. But she rambled some strange shit about how she became a prositute because of you. I think she was high or something..." Instantly, Arceny's face changed from worried to angry. Very angry. "That fucking bitch! I'll slit her throat!" he stormed out of the club, with a questioned Rouge behind him. "Arceny, what's going on? The girl said..." "The girl says shit, Rouge. I can't believe you talked to her in the first place! Why would you associate with a creep like her in the first place?" Arceny angrily said. "Well why did you associate with her?" Rouge  
snarkly said back. Arceny turned around and stormed back to Rouge. Rouge walked back until her back was against the wall while Arceny stood before her, with his chest against hers. "Do NOT play smartass with me, Rouge. We're both thieves, so we've all done some questioning stuff. Just stay out of my past, and I don't have to mess up your future." Arceny's voice became much darker. Rouge was terrified, but did her best to make it visible. "W-what do you mean?" she asked. Arceny stared at her for a while, until he calmed down and stepped back. "Doesn't matter. I'm gonna have a talk with Sylvia. You should go and plant the equipment. Sharp will be there to stand watch. I will get Faith and Rampage there at 16:45. You should prepare yourself." he calmly said, before walking away.

Central Square, Stardurst City, 16:40  
(10 minutes before the heist)

Rouge and Sharp were waiting in front of the Azura National Bank. Rouge tried to trick Sharp into revealing something about Arceny's personal life, but without much succes. It was clear that Sharp knew more, but wasn't content on informing Rouge what Arceny's intentions with her were. Five minutes later, a black sedan pulled up, and Arceny stepped out, with Rampage and Faith behind him. After discussing the final details off their upcoming heist. Arceny also gave Faith and Rouge costume-designed bodysuits. They were dark-grey, with a pink heart shape replacing the chest area. Fitted with the suit were a pair of white gloves with pink cuffs and similar knee-high boots with metal soles. "Doesn't the pink make us stand out too much?" Rouge asked. "Of course it does. We gotta make some kind off statement right?" Arceny responded. Arceny and Rampage dressed themselves in a similar outfit: a dark-grey suit, with a pink undershirt, and white shoes and gloves. Sharp was given dark-grey cargo jeans and a simple pink t-shirt. After getting dressed, everybody went to their positions: Arceny and Rampage entered the bank, Rouge made sure the roof was clear while Sharp lifted Faith there. Everything went as planned so far. Faith quickly hacked into the security system while Sharp and Rouge prepared the bomb. Meanwhile, Arceny and Rampage picked up the earplugs from the back room. But suddenly, Rampage wanted to make an announcement to Arceny. "Hey Arceny, there's something I need to get off my chest. In case this thing goes wrong, ya know." he nervously said. "You've got to have more confidence in this job, buddy. But anyway, what's the problem?" "Uh, it's about Faith. I mean, ya know, we've been together for a long time now, but things are starting to get more complicated now and, maybe it's better for the both of us if I...ya know, call it quits." Rampage said, knowing full well there isn't a better way to trigger Arceny's infamous temper. "Quits? You like to call it quits?" Arceny turned around so he could face Rampage. Rampage's massive stature trembled when he looked into Arceny's venomous eyes. "Look Arceny, I don't have anything against..." "Shut the fuck up, you moron. You think my sister is just some crappy B-movie that you can shut off whenever you feel like it? You saying she's some kind of object?!" "No, no! Not like that! But honestly, ya know, I mean were both guys, Arceny. We look at other women too, ya know. And know that we have that new chick in our crew..." "ROUGE?! You're dumping my sister over MY girlfriend?! You must have a death wish, you arrogant selfish piece of fucking crap!" Arceny shouted, alerting the hyena that was guarding the bank lobby. "Excuse me, sir. But could you tone your voice please? Otherwise I will have to ask both of you to leave." Arceny switched his glare from Rampage to the hyena. "Is that so? Oh, I'm terribly sorry. No honestly, my humble apologies to anyone who has been bothered by my ranting. But you see, I have a public annoucement to make, if I may." Arceny slowly raised his voice to get the attention of everybody present in the lobby. "What the fuck is he doing now?" Sharp whispered, while he and Rouge watched Arceny's breakdown from the air vents. He jumped up on one of the table and cleared his throat. "Dear citizens of Stardust City! This man over here is Rampage. And Rampage has been my best buddy since we were little. He was always there for me whenever I needed him most. To emphasize on how close we are, or were, Rampage is the only man to date whom I have trusted with my dear sister's hart. And it was all fine! Everybody was happy! That was, until Rampage announced to me, just right now, that he decided to dump her! What's worse, he now strives for a relationship with my girlfriend! Can you fucking believe that? Now here's something that might concern you all: Rampage and I were planning on robbing this bank just now, using a very eleborate plan. But now, there has been a change of plan off course." While everybody in the bank looked at each other in confusion, Arceny pulled out his unique golden desert eagle. Without any hestitation, he shot his former best friend through the skull, instantly killing him. "I'm going to rob this place by myself!" Arceny yelled. Everybody already began to run in panic, as armored guards rushed into Arceny's direction. In a reflex, Sharp blasted through the vent and jumped two of the guards. Rouge, confused about what just happened, stepped forward, ready to join the skirmish, when Faith suddenly held her back. "Faith?" "Rouge, no time. We should leave!" "But what about Arceny?" "Rouge, now!" Faith and Rouge escaped the vent and fled the bank, leaving Arceny and Sharp to fend for themselves.

The two girls ran into an alleyway, where Rouge demanded an explanation. "Faith, what's going on? What was that shit about Rampage? And why would you leave you brother behind?" "I understand it's confusing. Rampage and I planned on breaking up for a long time. We wanted to tell Arceny together, but that bonehead Rampage did it himself. Now we see the result. A botched heist and a dead tiger." Faith explained. "But why did Arceny do this? Where did that tyrade come from? Couldn't we just finish the job first?" Rouge asked. "Rouge, you don't know Arceny like I do. I know you've had a conversation with Sylvia. To be true...Arceny did get her addicted. And he did make her a prostitute." Faith revealed. "But...why would he do that? Why would he enjoy ruining people's live like that?" "You have a lot of questions, Rouge, but the answer is simple: Arceny is insane. Deeply insane. The only people he has never screwed up until now were me, you, Rampage and Sharp. Rampage dead now, Sharp probably is as well, and now that we've ran away, I guess we are next..." Faith said, scared and about to cry. Rouge was scared too, but tried to stay confident. "We aren't. Faith, you and I can escape this life. We just have to take a train to Station Square as soon as possible!" "Station Square? Why there?" "Because I know somebody who can help us there. A pink hedgehog named Amy Rose. We can probably take shelter there. Come on, let's go!" Rouge said. And so the two girls ran towards the station. On their way, they encountered Sylvia. After explaining what happened, Sylvia decided to tag along. As the trio sat in the train, Rouge looked out of the window. She saw the Azura National Bank, demolished in flames, and noticed the cyan hedgehog standing on the roof. Though there was no way Arceny could spot her too, Rouge couldn't help but get the frightening idea that she and Arceny would meet each other one day.


	4. Chapter 4- Escape

Chapter 4: Escape

"Never thought a girl like you would settle in a dull place like fucking Station Square. I really made you out to be an action-type, babe." Arceny grinned. "Oh, I've had plenty of action here, Arceny. And maybe my life isn't so exciting as it was in Stardust City, but at least it's better than working on the streets for you!" Rouge recieved a painful slap on the face from Arceny, implying he wanted her to shut up. He pulled out his gun and ducked under a window, looking paranoid. "What is it?" Rouge asked. "Shut the fuck up and look out the window for me. Is that another one of your goofball friends? Tell me!" he yelled. Rouge looked out the window and spotted Big the Cat. The fat purple cat was standing under a docking crane, reaching up with his arms. Apparently, he lost Froggy again, as the poor frog was standing on the crane. "Big! What are you doing here?" Rouge whispered to herself, but just enough for Arceny to hear. "So you do know him? What's your deal with him, is he dangerous?!" "What, Big? Hell no. He might be strong, but he wouldn't harm a fly." Rouge said. Unfortunatly for the purple cat, Arceny already rushed outside.

"Hey you! The fuck you think you're doing here?" Arceny asked. "Well, I was in the forest playing with Fwoggy, but then, Fwoggy dissapeared again, I followed him to the station, and now Fwoggy is stuck on that crane! Can you help me, sir?" Big slowly said. "I don't give a shit about Fwoggy. What's your relationship with ROUGE THE BAT?" Arceny asked in a way so that Big could understand. "Rouge? She's very nice, unless she sees shiny thing. Then Rouge become not so nice..." "Yeah yeah, so she's a greedy flirt? Sounds about accurate." Arceny confirmed. While Big finally started to wonder who this mysterious hedgehog was and what he wanted with Rouge, he suddenly noticed Rouge herself, sneaking away from one of the dock's warehouses. "Hey! There she is right now! HI ROUGIE! Could you help me get Fwoggy of the crane? I can't reach him and your fwiend here is being mean to me." Big yelled, blowing Rouge's escape. "Damnit Big!" she muttered. Arceny glared, taking out his gun and pointing it in Froggy's direction. "Here, I'l help you get that fucking Fwoggy down!" Arceny shot Froggy through the skull, and immediatly lowered his gun, shooting Big in the stomach, head and chest multiple times. "And there goes the overused cameo character..." Arceny said. He then turned his attention to Rouge, who was gone. "Goddamnit! I will find that fucking tramp and slit her throat!" Arceny screamed.

Meanwhile, Rouge was flying through Station Square. She needed to find Faith and Sylvia, and warn them that Arceny was back in town. Suddenly, she heard someone fighting in an alley. Looking down, she saw Sonic in a fistfight with no one other than Sharp, the only member of the crew that stuck with Arceny. In the three years after the heist, Sharp did some training himself, and the young hawk had enough experience to give Sonic a hard time. "Get lost, you damn mutt! You're not the bird i'm looking for!" Sonic shouted. Sharp leaped down for another attack, but was interrupted by a kick from Rouge's metal soles. He glared at Rouge in pain, but started laughing when he realized he saw the familiar face. "Rougie, it's been a long time. Damn, you've grown girl!" he grinned. "Yeah, well you're still a little prick with a big mouth. Tell me, are you still flapping into Arceny's ass these days?" Rouge sarcastically responded. Sharp's temper quickly took over and he charged at Rouge. However, Rouge knew his weak spot, and pinched him by the feathers of his left wing, knowing he had permanent injuries there. Sharp yelled, feeling a sharp (see what I did there?) pain flowing through his body. Now he was reduced from a powerful hawk to the whimpy, childish creature he was three years before, and he started crying as Rouge held him firmly pressed against the wall. Sharp began to swing his arms around, until he finally got tired and passed out. "You might've grown up, but your still a little kid to me..." Rouge smirked. "Nice work there. I could've handled him myself you know...but he kept flying away." Sonic said, trying to bring up an excuse. In the turmoil he almost forgot that he was searching for Rouge in the first place, and joyfully hugged her when he realized she escaped from the other hedgehog. Rouge returned the gesture, and the two were standing in the alleyway for so long that they didn't notice Sharp sneaking away to warn Arceny. By the time Sonic and Rouge finished hugging, Arceny already stood before them.

"So, you're the hedgehog who's been fucking around with MY girlfriend? The great and heroic Sonic the Hedgehog? With a useless golddigging slut like Rouge the Bat? Heroes are pathetic these days!" Arceny smirked. "You know, for a useless golddigging slut, you've certainly taken interest in Rouge. What's your deal with her anyway, you lowlife Mr.T reject?" Sonic replied. "My deal with her, Sonic, is not your concern. All you need to know, is that Rouge owes me a great deal, and therefore i'm taking her back to Stardust City. And you better not get in my fucking way!" Arceny's threats didn't bother Sonic. He shrugged them off and dashed into Arceny's direction. Arceny evaded his spindash and kicked the hedgehog in his ball-shaped form away like a soccer ball. Arceny didn't bother letting Sonic get up, and kicked the platinum of his shoe tips into Sonic's head, fatally injuring him. As a puddle of blood formed next to Sonic's wounded skull, Arceny approached Rouge...


	5. Chapter 5- Shadow Saves

Chapter 5: Shadow saves

Ruby Plains, 16:00PM

"Shadow come on, you're overdoing it! Give her some rest." Tails shouted. "And then what? Tails, the girl's got to learn to defend herself, look what happened last time!" Shadow replied. "But she just got out of the hospital, just let her recover a bit first." "No time for that. Cream, get ready for another round!" Shadow shouted. A tired Cream stood up, barely able to take her fighting position. With wobbling legs, she watched fearfully as Shadow charged at her. Just before he knocked into Cream, Tails lunged forward, pinning Shadow against the ground. "What the hell, Tails?" "Enough is enough Shadow. You're supposed to train her, not kill her!" "I told you over a hundred times, I'm not killing her. This is basic combat sparring, it's completely non-lethal!" "Yeah well she's still bruised to the bone. What will Vanilla think?" "Vanilla would be happy that Cream's able to defend her family!" "Guys, stop it! Let's just call it day and pick this up tomorrow!" Cream yelled, interrupting Tails' and Shadow's argument. "Good idea. What do you say Shadow?" "Whatever. Don't come crying to me next time your house gets attacked." Shadow gruffily said while rubbing dirt off his shoulders. The trio were about to walk back home when Tails noticed Arceny running through the field while carrying Rouge. "Hey! Isn't that Rouge over there?" Shadow immediatly turned around and focused. "Yeah it is. But what's that cyan hedgehog planning with her?" "Cyan hedgehog?!" Cream turned around as well, suddenly remembering who attacked her. "That's him! That's the one that destroyed my house and killed Cheese!" she screamed. Tails was shocked, but Shadow already pursued the hedgehog.

"Who the fuck is this creep? Probably another one of your dumbass friends." Arceny wondered while looking behind to see Shadow running behind him. Rouge didn't respond, as she lay unconscious in Arceny's arms. "Damnit, he's starting to catch up! Hope I can reach the train in time!" Arceny thought to himself. Just as the railroad tracks started to appear in the distance, Arceny felt a kick in the back, sending him flying forward. He got up and directly stood face to face with Shadow. "Who could've figured, another hedgehog. You know, you're just as ugly as the one I killed a few minutes ago, except that he was blue of course..." Arceny smirked. Tails and Cream caught up just in time to hear what Arceny said. "You...killed Sonic?" Tails yelled. Cream already started to cry, and Tails followed shortly. Shadow looked back at the two wheeping kids behind him, then looked back at Arceny with an icy stare. "What's the matter, emo-boy? Too manly to cry? Feeling to though to show emotion? Afraid to have a breakdown?" Arceny taunted. "Something's definetly going to break..." Shadow whispered. He threw his right fist into Arceny's jaw, launching him airborne. In mid-air, he proceeded to punch Arceny a bunch of more times, finishing of with a violent Chaos Blast that smashed Arceny back into the ground. As the dust settled, Arceny came out, noticing a tiny scratch on his stomach. "Damn, now I'm speechless." he sarcastically remarked, implying he was unimpressed by Shadow's rage-filled attack. The two hedgehog rushed into each other, exchaning more blows for a few more minutes. Despite giving his best, Shadow was unable to hold his own, and Arceny knocked him against the ground. "That was some decent entertainment. But now I have to leave, I've got a certain bat to attend to!" Arceny turned away from Shadow to pick up Rouge, only to spot Tails and Cream carrying her away. "You little punks...!" he yelled. Arceny leaped forward to grab Tails' leg, but in a last-minute attempt, Shadow got up and kicked Arceny away. "Don't turn your back on me. I won't be ignored, you fuck!" he yelled.


End file.
